Feather River

I just started fishing the Feather River in 1998.  It is only a three hour drive, so it is closer than the Trinity River.  The fish are bigger and the season is longer.  Last fall they were pulling fish in the 40-50 pound range out on a regular basis.  Although a bit slow, they start catching fish in May and the season does not close until about the 15th of October.

Fishing on the Feather River is a bit different than fishing the Trinity.  The best fishing is found by wading out into the outlet from the Thermolito After-Bay.  No bait or lures.  Most the fish from shore are caught on a #1 or #2 hook tied to a 7 foot leader with 3-4 small (4 mm) red & yellow beads.  Most people use a 15-20 pound line with a 12 or 15 pound leader.

Depending on your preferences, there are basically 4 ways you can fish the area.  I think the best fishing is done by wading out in the Afterbay Outflow.  Chest waders are a necessity here, hip boots are too short.  A lot of people will just wear shorts, or regular pants to wade in and then put on dry pants when they are done fishing.  When the outflow is up above 3000 feet, the current can get a little rough.  If you do not want to fight the current, a lot of fish are caught in the "Beach" area.  This is the area from the large rock at the end of the outflow to the bluff area.  Hip boots are good here.  When tired, or lazy, I like to fish off the "Bluff" area by the parking lot.  Bring a chair, sit back and relax as you cast out.  I have caught several fish in this manner.  Last but not least there are a couple of boat launching areas near by and you can bring your boat and get out in the river.  Take a look at the photos on my 1999 page for shots of all the fishing areas.

Be forewarned, the first couple of times you fish the area can be very frustrating. There are a lot of "snags" in the area and until you learn how to fish around them you will lose a lot of rigging. Stop off at McGraths Bait store on the way in and pick up a bag of 50 1 oz sinkers.  They cost $5.00 for a bag of 50 and you will need most of them.  McGraths is easy to get to.  After you turn left on OroDam Road you will cross the bridge over the Feather River.  As you come off the bridge, McGraths will be on your left.

The catch and possession rules are not as generous as they are on the Trinity.  Here you can catch 2 fish per day, but the possession limit is also 2 fish.  I go up and plan on at least two days, if the fishing is good, or I can stay all week.  There is a good size parking area and a large open field for camping.  I take the Motorhome up and boondock in the field.  If I get two fish the first day, one becomes camp meat and I stick around to catch another fish the next day.

I love catching Salmon and I love eating them.  But my biggest joy is taking a "newbie" out to the area and after showing them what little I know about fishing the area, watching them catch their first Salmon.  Right now (4 Mar 2000) the cost of gas here in Tahoe is about $1.80 a gal.  That means about $120 gas costs for a round trip.  If I do not have a fishing partner to go with me to share expenses I will do a lot of car camping.  E-mail me if you want to join me on a fishing trip and I will get in touch with you.

McGraths Bait Store in Oroville has an excellent web site with a good fishing report that is updated every Monday.

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